Selectmen hold public hearing on York River plan

By Jennifer Bryantjbryant@seacoastonline.com

Tuesday

Aug 14, 2018 at 3:18 PMAug 14, 2018 at 3:18 PM

YORK — A proposed stewardship plan for the York River, and a federal designation as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River, is the result of many years of conversations and studies, Chuck Ott, chairman of the York River Study Committee told the Board of Selectmen Monday.

“We have listened and we have modified our plan based on the feedback that we have received,” he said. “This is an invaluable framework for moving forward in planning how to best conserve our natural resources and our cultural history.”

Selectmen held the first of two public hearings Monday on proposed measures to accept a stewardship plan for the York River and to designate it as part of the federal Wild and Scenic Partnership Program. A second public hearing before the board will be held Aug. 27, after which selectmen will decide whether or not to put the two measures on the November ballot.

The study committee will be seeking the same approval from town councils in South Berwick and Kittery, and from voters in Eliot, as all four towns are in the watershed. The vast majority of the river and its watershed are in York.

Ott said the stewardship plan's purpose is to conserve and protect the York River. And while it contains “ideas for how to do this, it does not contain prescriptions.” He said the plan does not require public access to private land, does not put land under federal control, does not change any existing land uses, does not force any changes in the local land-use decision-making process or objectives, does not prevent access to or use of the river or watershed lands, and does not affect hunting and fishing laws.

Some raised concerns about federal overreach into landowners’ rights or local ordinance processes. Selectmen Mike Estes asked whether the town would need to hire additional staff to be able to implement the plan.

Jim McCartney of the National Parks Service said that would not be the case.

“There is no cost associated with it to the community,” he said. “There’s no funding commitment if the river is designated.”

Resident Rich Sherman asked “What is the threat?” “We’ve got a plethora of ordinances, rules, regulations already existing that seem to be working enough to make the York River what it is now in its pristine designation,” he said. “What are we trying to protect the York River from that we haven’t already done locally?”

Study committee member Joan LeBlanc said, “everything is working well, that is true.” But the town is at a “critical juncture right now,” she said, an opportunity to be proactive and make sure the river is protected.

“We hope that the work that’s been done here is able to go out to the public for a vote. We think it’d be a great tool and an opportunity,” she said. “An opportunity to bring in some money that will protect these really important resources for the next generation.”

Resident David Chase called the plan "a sound proposal” that protects “what is valuable about York and what we can do to try to preserve those values.” A stewardship committee would serve in an advisory capacity to make recommendations on how to best manage and protect the river as a resource, he said.

“It would have no authority to change any local ordinance," he said. "It simply would advise and look at managing this whole system in a way that benefits the whole community and I think that would be worthwhile. None of this has to do with taking by the federal government or the state government or, indeed, by the town. None of this would impose outside controls on local zoning. It’s not a part of this. It’s not a part of the program.”

He added the Wild and Scenic designation has “economic value.”

“Economic value to individual property owners and economic value to the community as a whole," he said. "It’s really not the intent of these plans to produce economic value, but they do."

Karen Young, coordinator of the Mount Agamenticus to the Sea Conservation Initiative, urged selectmen to put the measures before voters.

“Our work is complimentary and directly addressed in the stewardship plan. The plan will help directly support our work and it will also compliment our work,” she said. “The stewardship plan that is being developed is something that will be very valuable to expanding the work that we do.”

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